1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fishing equipment, and more particularly to an ice fishing tip-up that automatically displays a visible signal when a fish strikes a fishing line attached thereto.
2. The Prior Art
An ice fisherman typically fishes a plurality of holes simultaneously by placing a different fishing line through each of the holes into the water below the ice. Since the fisherman cannot personally attend all the holes being fished, signal devices may be attached to the various lines to alert the fisherman when a fish has taken the hook on a particular line. Such signaling devices, commonly called "tip-ups", generally utilize a horizontal arm, center-pivoted in such fashion that when a fish strikes a line attached to one end of the arm, the opposite end will be raised. A flag may be attached to the raised end to attract the fisherman's attention. An example of such a device is the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,752,716, issued to Porter on July 3, 1956.
Existing ice fishing tip-ups tend to be mechanically complex. Besides being costly to manufacture, such complex devices are difficult to use in cold weather conditions such as those generally encountered when ice fishing. In addition, such devices are often bulky and therefore clumsy to move about and difficult to store conveniently. Accordingly, there is a need for an ice fishing tip-up that is mechanically simple and that is easy to store and move from place to place on the ice. The present invention satisfies this need.